The renowned watch brand Enicar dates back to the 1850s in Switzerland and played an important role in the Swiss watch and clock industry. In the 1930s, Geoffrey Kao’s grandfather Lee Wai-lee became the agent for Enicar in Shanghai, and quickly became the general agent in Asia. From then on, Enicar was well known by successive generations in the Mainland.

After Mr Lee moved to Hong Kong in the 1940s, he established Wah Ming Hong Ltd. In 1988, Enicar was acquired by Wah Ming Hong with the production remaining in Switzerland.

Wide Promotion and Adding Value Since Geoffrey Kao took the position of Executive Director of Wah Ming Hong Ltd in 2004, the brand invited three famous Mainland actors as spokespersons to increase the popularity of Enicar. These were successively Zhou Xun, Xu Jinglei and Zhang Hanyu. According to Mr Kao, “These three actors are talented and capable. Just like Enicar, they are cultured, congenial

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and easy-going. They also hold high standards for themselves, which means their choosing to be the spokespersons of Enicar is an indication that our brand is of a high standard itself. “

Enicar has been in three different stages during the period that the three actors have been spokespersons. In 2005-07, Enicar invited Zhou Xun as the spokesperson, commencing the brand’s first national promotion. It also started to release new designs based on the market demand to replace old models. “In the second stage, which was 2007-09, we began to enhance our market positioning.” The average price was

doubled and watches with prices over RMB10,000 were re leased. In the third stage (2009 til l present), Enicar has begun to position itself in the high-end market and put more emphasis on conveying the brand culture.

Detailed Classification to Exploit Market PotentialThe market classification of Enicar is very detailed. Mr Kao said, “For example, the market of Jiangsu

Geoffrey Kao, Executive Director of Wah Ming Hong Ltd and Awardee of Young Industrialist Awards of Hong Kong 2010 talks about how the hundred-year old watch brand Enicar has become the top 10 imported watch brands in the Mainland market.

Geoffrey Kao, Executive Director of Wah Ming Hong Ltd and Awardee of Young Industrialist Awards of Hong Kong 2010 talks about how the hundred-year old watch brand Enicar has become the top 10 imported watch brands in the Mainland market.

Invigorationin the New Era

Invigorationin the New Era

province is traditionally divided into two, the north and the south. To me, however, different stores in Yangzhou city of Jiangsu province can be considered as different markets.” He does not divide and analyse Enicar’s market with the cliché concept of an “x-tier” city. “Many Hong Kongers would consider Hefei, the capital of Anhui province, as a ‘third-tier’ city, but it is absolutely a ‘first-tier’ city to Enicar. As each store, city and province is at different development stages and seeing various changes, it is impossible for us to classify the markets in conventional ways. Besides, we will not give up any market however its size is.”

Therefore, Enicar does not have a unified operation strategy for all the stores around the country. “I am very flexible in doing business in the Mainland, and formulate business plans specifically for a province, a city or even a single store. Besides, the strategies I am using now might be changed next month.”

Having gained popularity in the Mainland in the past decades, Enicar always sells well. Therefore, Mr Kao’s main duty is to strive for the best environment and conditions for the brand to fully exploit its potential. He says, “I have seven sales staff based in the Mainland who update the market situation to me, and I plan as a whole and make specific decisions based on the information provided.” If sales at one store do not meet expectations, Mr Kao would fly there to get the opinions from many sides including sales and customers. Then he would try to find out the reasons, such as inappropriate display locations, strained relationship with the franchisee, or failed promotion work. Then he would make decisions to change accordingly to fully explore the potential of Enicar in that market.

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As each store, city and province is at different development stages and seeing various changes, it is impossible for us to classify the markets in conventional ways.

Follow the Trend with Strong Market SenseWith its rapid development, the retail market in the Mainland has seen fast changing consumption styles. Mr Kao elaborates, “ I t is totally different from five or 10 years ago. There were fewer white-collars before, and they would like to make a high profile of themselves in every way. Nowadays, people still want to show their success, but they prefer comparatively l o w - k e y d e s i g n s .” E n i c a r caught this change, and won people’s hearts with simple and fashionable designs.

E n i c a r p l a n n e d t o p u t m o r e emphasis on attracting the post 80’s customers, and will release young and fashionable designs. R i g h t n o w , t h e e x i s t i n g customers are those aged from 30 to 45. “Many of them are successful and are able to buy Enicar’s watches for themselves, their parents and children. Many post 80’s, although having not worked for long, have decent income and are able to afford Enicar as well. Therefore, we are now aiming at people aged from 25 to 45.” To achieve this, Enicar has and will release models like CH331, CH333 and CH128 catering to the youngsters. “There is considerable room for the growth of the post 80’s consumption power in the coming 10 years. We will try our best to attract them and keep the current consumers as well.”

M r K a o i s v e r y c o n f i d e n t f a c i n g f i e r c e competition. “Many brands will be eliminated in the competition. Their disappearance indicates that there will be room for the development of other brands. What Enicar focuses on now is how to beat the competitors when some brands are being washed out of the game.”

with comprehensive and long-term perspectives. “Through these activities, I have found Mainland youngsters very smart. They just do not have many opportunities and platforms. Therefore, I hope to help them develop the field of their vision with Enicar’s vast network so that they can be far-sighted in their study and work. I also hope Hong Kong youngsters can get to know more about the nation through these activities.”

Active Participation in Cross-cultural Communication Apart from work, Mr Kao proactively promotes communication between the youngsters from the Mainland and Hong Kong. He has taken several positions including the Vice Chairman of Hong Kong - Shanghai Youth Exchange Promotion Association, Executive Vice Chairman of Hong Kong – Chongqing Y o u t h E x c h a n g e Promotion Association and Executive Director of Hong Kong United Youth Association, in order to promote the interaction and cooperation between the young business leaders from the Mainland and Hong Kong.

Mr Kao says his original intention of joining these activities was to further understand the country. He has to deal with many details at work, and these activities can not only release him from work, but also enable him to look at situations

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